VANCOUVER -- A second state-of-the-art vessel has been delivered to the Canadian Coast Guard from a shipyard in Vancouver before it heads to its new home in Dartmouth, N.S., as part of a national shipbuilding strategy.
Seaspan Shipyards says in a news release the Capt. Jacques Cartier is equipped with high-tech fishing trawls and four labs allowing scientists in the Fisheries Department to collect and analyze data on Canada's marine ecosystems as well as the impacts of climate change.
It says construction of the vessel involved more than 600 small- and medium-sized Canadian companies and it was delivered five months after its sister ship, the Sir John Franklin, made its home at the Institute of Ocean Sciences in Sidney, B.C.
Seaspan says the 63-metre Jacques Cartier is one of the most advanced ships of its kind in the world and includes an array of sensors to support its research mandate and allow the coast guard to conduct search and rescue operations.
The company says a third vessel under construction at Seaspan is on schedule to be delivered in August.
Fisheries and Coast Guard Minister Bernadette Jordan says in a statement the delivery of the second vessel marks a significant milestone.
